{"id":17787,"date":"2026-06-25T16:03:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17787"},"modified":"2026-06-25T16:03:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:03:33","slug":"santiago-canyon-colleges-mendias-finds-his-way-through-games-after-personal-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17787","title":{"rendered":"Santiago Canyon College\u2019s Mendias finds his way through games after personal loss"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

After graduating from Norco High School, Matt Mendias was excited to become a freshman at Santiago Canyon College last fall and to join the Hawks men\u2019s basketball team with coach Todd Dixon.<\/p>\n

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As a shooting guard and point guard, Mendias was a significant contributor to the Hawks\u2019 successful recent season, which finished with a 21\u20139 record and included playing in the Southern California regional finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a hardworking, passionate player,\u201d said Dixon, who started SCC\u2019s men\u2019s basketball program in 2017 and was a longtime coach at El Toro High School before that.<\/p>\n

Mendias\u2019 enthusiasm was evident even before he began playing. \u201cYou could just tell that he was going to be a good teammate and a good leader on our program,\u201d said Nicho DellaValle, SCC\u2019s assistant director of athletics and sports. \u201cHe has a charismatic attitude, always a smile on his face, and just the pure hustle behind this kid is incredible. He\u2019s a grinder, and he plays really well within the team, both on and off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, three days before Christmas, Mendias\u2019 father, Gerald, died suddenly from complications from asthma at age 60, leaving behind his wife and four children.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad had a super rough childhood,\u201d Mendias said. \u201cBasketball was like an out and helped him get through it.\u201d His father, a dedicated a Lakers fan as well as a Dodgers fan, worked as a truck driver and inspired his sons with the love of sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll throughout my childhood, I was playing baseball, basketball, and football, and then when I got to high school I finally just stuck with basketball,\u201d said Mendias, who is 6 foot 3 and weighs 190 pounds. \u201cBasketball is just constant action; I really love that. I would definitely say the speed is my favorite part.\u201d<\/p>\n

The death of Mendias\u2019 father shook the whole Hawks team, and they came together for him, Dixon said. \u201cWe have a family atmosphere here, a really good, strong culture. Our guys just love each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The players wanted to do something to help their teammate. \u201cWe got an Uber Eats card for him, and we were praying for his family,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cIt was heartbreaking and hard to get through, but at the same time, it was amazing to see all of our players just support him, and I think that support really helped him get through.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mendias and his dad sometimes shot baskets together during the week or before games, DellaValle said. \u201cI\u2019d see Matt shooting and his dad rebounding, and they just had what seemed to be one of those special father-son bonds that every kid I think wishes for, and every father really wishes for, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stepping back onto the court after the loss of his father was overwhelming and emotional for Mendias. \u201cWhen the first game came around, it was really hard because basketball was a big part of me and my dad\u2019s relationship,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I play basketball, I think of my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to find a way to keep playing. \u201cI kind of just switched my perspective on it to \u2018I want to do this to make him happy,\u2019 and I enjoyed it a lot more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Resilience characterizes many young basketball players at SCC Dixon said. \u201cThey bounce back and find a way. And when you have a support group, whether it\u2019s family or our basketball program, it really helps guys get through different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one likes to lose a game, especially not a competitive athlete like Mendias. But Dixon has observed this player doesn\u2019t dwell in frustration when his team loses. \u201cSome guys will hang their heads, but with Matt, that might happen for a split second and then he\u2019s right back in and responds with \u2018I\u2019m going to work harder, I\u2019ve got to make sure I play even better next time,\u2019 \u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\n

Mendias is exploring pathways such as kinesiology, construction and business so that he can be financially secure. \u201cPart of being at a community college is you get a great opportunity to figure out what you really like and what your goals are academically and for a career,\u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Hawks basketball team is starting up daily practices soon to be ready for the next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super competitive,\u201d Mendias said, \u201cand just really enjoy being on a team, working together. Even in my job right now at a tire shop, where we work in teams, it\u2019s just so fun doing something as a unit to get the final end goal. I just really enjoy collaborating to get something greater. That\u2019s why I love basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Norman Rockwell people-watched in the West Wing lobby. Now those sketches are on public display<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hard work pays off for freshman Matt Mendias after losing his father early in the season. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nSantiago Canyon College\u2019s Mendias finds his way through games after personal loss - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17787\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Santiago Canyon College\u2019s Mendias finds his way through games after personal loss - 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